A stunning series of portraits of people — shortly before and just after they die — is touring Europe now, and tackling one of the biggest remaining taboos in Western societies. Photos by Walter Schels, text by Beate Lakotta.

Few experiences are likely to affect us as profoundly as an
encounter with death. Yet most deaths occur almost covertly, at
one remove from our everyday lives.

Death and dying are arguably
our last taboos – the topics our society finds most difficult. We
certainly fear them more than our ancestors did. Opportunities to
learn more about them are rare indeed.

This exhibition features people whose lives are coming to an end.
It explores the experiences, hopes and fears of the terminally ill. All
of them agreed to be photographed shortly before and immediately
after death.

The majority of the subjects portrayed spent their last days in
hospices. All those who come to such places realise that their lives
are drawing to a close. They know there is not much time left to
settle their personal affairs. Yet hardly anyone here is devoid of
hope: they hope for a few more days; they hope that a dignified
death awaits them or that death will not be the end of everything.

The photographer Walter Schels and the journalist Beate Lakotta
spent over a year preparing this exhibition in hospices in northern
Germany. They made portraits of 26 people who were very close to
death. The exhibition articulates the experiences, hopes and fears of
the dying, and gives them one more opportunity to be heard.

Photographs: Walter Schels
Born in 1936, and living in Hamburg, Germany, Walter Schels is best
known for his photographic character studies.

Text: Beate Lakotta
Beate Lakotta, born in 1965, is an editor of the science section of Der
Spiegel news magazine. She lives in Hamburg, Germany.

VIDEO
You can see and hear the authors talk about this project in an excellent 9-1/2 minute video interview.

Noch mal leben vor dem Todby Beate Lakotta and Walter SchelsHardcover, 224 pages
DVA Dt.Verlags-Anstalt (September 1, 2004)
10.8 x 8.7 inches
ISBN-13: 978-3421058379 Buy on AmazonA beautifully printed book including many more photographs from this series is available at the moment only with a German-language text.